Cubs see another NL Central foe make the cut as 2025 MLB Playoff bracket is released

The Chicago Cubs locked up the top spot in the NL Wild Card race on Saturday, which comes with home-field advantage next week against the San Diego Padres, but the final wild card berth remained unclear heading into Game 162 on Sunday. When the dust settled the NL Central rival Cincinnati Reds emerged victorious.

There's no immediate direct impact on the Cubs. Chicago will take on San Diego in the best-of-three Wild Card Series that starts on Tuesday and the winner of that series will advance to take on the #1 overall NL seed and NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.

In the other NL Wild Card Series, the Reds will take on the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the #3 seed, in another best-of-three series.

We could see an NLCS matchup with shades of the 2016 World Series

Should the Cubs and Reds each advance to the NLCS, there's the potential for a rematch with the manager of the 2016 Cleveland Indians, Terry Francona, who now helms the Reds. Of course, that means Cincinnati got through not only the Dodgers, but the #2 NL seed Phillies, but it's not impossible.

Chicago finished the year five games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. So while both teams made the playoffs, let's keep in mind the Reds finished fourteen games back and nine back of Chicago. In head-to-head competition this year, the Cubs went 5-8 against the Reds, though, their most losses against a single opponent.

As far as the Cubs are concerned, their first task is taking down the Padres. San Diego was a completely different team away from Petco Park this year, so hopefully, the Cubs can take advantage of that fact as the host for all three games in the NL Wild Card Series. Both the Reds and Cubs get their postseason mission started on Tuesday.